Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It was a delight to welcome people back to worship at Croston on Wednesday morning, to pray together, to hear the word of God together, to receive the sacrament together following the command of Jesus to do this in remembrance of him. Thank you to all those who worked so hard to prepare for this and get our churches ready to begin Public worship once again. We started with the quieter midweek communion service at Croston and we will now expand that slowly this Sunday the 26th July where we will hold a 9:15 am service at Croston followed by an 11 am service at Mawdesley (note the change of time for the 4th Sunday of the month).
The following Sunday there will be services in all three churches with:
Sunday 2nd August (1st of the month)
8 am BCP HC Mawdesley
9:15 am HC Croston
11 am HC Bretherton
11 am Service of the Word Mawdesley (not normal 9:30am)
Then throughout August we will hold a service in every church on Sundays but this will not follow the normal pattern in each church, we thought that it was important to keep momentum going once we have restarted worship.
During August we will review this and then plan accordingly for September – I will also be taking two weeks holiday in mid-September.
I realise that not everyone will be ready to public worship dependent upon their particular circumstances and the risks that you and your families face.
We have carried out risk assessments and following the government, Church of England and Diocesan guidance on managing the risk of COVID-19 in places of worship. We have to record contact details for everyone who attends any of our services in order to comply with the track and trace requirements. Will keep these details for the required 21 days and hand them over if required to the authorities conducting the track and trace we will not use them for any other purpose in line with the GDPR regulations.
Those who attend worship should note:
- Do not come to church if you are feeling unwell or have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms in the past seven days
- You are welcome to wear a face covering but it is not compulsory. They are mainly intended to protect other people, not the wearer, from COVID-19 and they are not a replacement for physical distancing and regular hand washing. I will wear a face covering for those parts of the service when I am close to others.
- Take responsibility for your own safety and that of your household and other people by maintaining social distancing and observing all hygiene measures
- Ensure children are supervised at all times
- Understand that you may not be able to sit in your preferred place, or close to friends who do not live in your household or who are not part of your ‘Bubble group’.
Thank you for your understanding
as we slowly return to public worship.
Please also remember in your prayers the recently departed soul of:
Tony Gallagher
Rest eternal grant unto him O Lord may he rest in the peace of Christ and rise in his glory.
With love & prayers. Michael (Rector)
Tel: 01772 600548 mobile: 07960309005, email: revmwoods@gmail.com
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Church opening times on Wednesdays & Sundays
Bretherton 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
Croston 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Mawdesley w Bispham 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
These are subject to change once churches reopen for public worship
Coronavirus Village support groups
Croston COVID-19 Croston Village Support Group
Mawdesley Mawdesley – Coronavirus help each other out.
Bretherton Via Bretherton WI (01772 601495)
email bethertoonwi@btinternett.com
Facebook Pages
With worship restarting in two of our churches we are not providing our own worship video this week but will share worship from Blackburn Cathedral which can be found on their YouTube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZ_3qPsmiiP4-StDmTXrIw
Our facebook pages are:
https://www.facebook.com/St-John-the-Baptist-Church-Bretherton-439088266487676/
https://www.facebook.com/StMichaelAllAngelsChurchCroston/
https://www.facebook.com/St-Peters-Mawdesley-w-Bispham-442669382795886/?ref=bookmarks
The3churches YouTube Channel
We now have a YouTube channel for the3churches.
Access the videos by searching for ‘the3churches youtube’ on your search engine or the3churches directly on YouTube or follow the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdXC7P9kQ3xEk_kKf5JZE-A
The Church of England posts on Facebook and YouTube a national service of worship every Sunday at 9 am this week’s service This week’s online service comes from the Diocese in Europe. Filmed at Holy Trinity Brussels, the service will reflect on the theme that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/church-online
Please continue to support the Food Banks
Please to continue to support our foodbanks being as generous as you can be with your donations they are much appreciated by the foodbanks and especially by the growing number of people who depend upon their support.
We need all the usual tins & packets, but the Food Bank is very short of
Cereals & cereal bars
Little bags of sugar (500g)
Instant mash
Tinned carrots
Laundry tablets/pods
In Croston Please leave your donations at either 19, Highfield Rd or 32, Westhead Rd. There are regular runs to the Food Bank.
In Bretherton – The box will remain at the gate, 154 South Road.
Thank you to everyone for your support to date!
In Mawdesley – we have been giving donations of money rather than food which gives the foodbank flexibility to buy what they need at specific times. Any donations can be dropped at Robin Hood Cottage, Bluestone Lane, Mawdesley, L40 2RG (opposite Nook Lane), cheques should be made payable to ‘Ormskirk Food Bank’ these will then be delivered to the Food bank on a regular basis. Eggs are also available from Robin Hood Cottage (thanks to Rosemary & the hens of course)
Thank you to everyone who has been supporting our local food banks and all the other good causes at this time.
Could you make a donation to support Church?
All our churches rely upon the generous donations of our parishioners to provide the financial support that both maintain our buildings and provide care and support to all those in the local community. Although some use standing orders or other methods of online giving, many donors use cash, either in the plate or in weekly planned giving envelopes.
As good stewards, although at present we are unable to meet together in our church buildings, but we are still the church and together we share the privilege and responsibility of ensuring that the ministry can go on and we can continue to be a symbol of God’s presence in our local communities.
Even though the doors of our buildings are now open again we cannot yet take collections of money. Donations or regular giving can be made by using ‘Online banking’ facilities, the bank details you will require to do this are given below for each church:
Bretherton – St. John the Baptist
St. Johns Bretherton PCC Account, No: 10031333, Sort code: 16 17 41
Croston – St. Michael & All Angels
St. Michaels PCC Account, No. 11215462, Sort Code 16-17-41
Also if you have no facility to pay electronically, envelopes can be dropped off with our Treasurer Derek Alty, 12 Lostock Road, Croston.
Mawdesley w Bispham St. Peter
Mawdesley PCC Account, No 87032805, Sort code 60 24 02.
If you decide to make a donation electronically you may be given the opportunity to set up a standing order, which will be far easier for us ensuring that we will have a more regular income.
Join us in personal daily prayer using the resources on the Church of England Website at:
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer
Or you can download the ‘Daily Prayer’ App to your phone or tablet.
The Collect
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
First Reading
Solomon asks God for gifts of understanding and discernment so that he can rule God’s people wisely. God is pleased and grants his request.
1 Kings 3:5-12
At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart towards you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.’
Second Reading
The Holy Spirit and Jesus both intercede for us so that, even in times of great distress, nothing can separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:26-end
The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Gospel
In a series of parables Jesus shows how the kingdom of heaven starts small and grows very big, is of great value and scoops up all sorts of people.
Matthew 13:31-33. 44-52
Jesus put before the crowd another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.
So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, whose Son is the true vine and the source of life, ever giving himself that the world may live: may we so receive within ourselves the power of his death and passion that, in his saving cup, we may share his glory and be made perfect in his love; for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen
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